An Innocent Child
by KawaiiKohai
Summary: (Set after Kanda goes looking for Allen so some manga spoilers ahead - as well as some canon changes to fit the story) When Allen is sentenced to death, Kanda's Innocence going crazy saves their hides and allows them to safely escape to the Ark. But why did his Innocence freak out and who is this powerful child that has appeared before them? (Yullen)
1. Chapter 1

Why am I doing this? This is dumb. I am sat here unable to do anything as he stands up there accepting his fate. I cannot take this. We'd only just made amends. We'd only just called each other friend. I let him use my first name. I can't let him die. But I can't move. What is this? Am I so controlled by this power we call Innocence? We call God? I don't want this. I want to go to him. I want to save him.

The charms holding me in place shattered as my Innocence went crazy, disintegrating from its sword form and flicking around my body.

"Mugen?" The figure that once haunted my dreams, comforted me as it assumed its original angelic form. Reaching out, I gagged as it turned to liquid and shot down my throat. Why was it doing this? I already had 'crystal' innocence. What else would it evolve into? The liquid hit my stomach and began to burn. The pain was searing, doubling me over, my healing mark kicking into overdrive. Was my Innocence trying to kill me? Was it because I wanted to save him? I collapsed on the floor as the Crows who had been keeping an eye on me rushed over. I remembered nothing after that.

When I woke up, I was in a room in the Ark. I shot up from where I lay on a sofa - white like everything else in this place. Link leaned in the doorway, watching me as I gained my bearings.

"Yo"

"What happened?"

"Ah you don't remember?"

"Obviously"

"Your innocence went crazy and basically blinded most of the guards, giving them a chance to escape. It hasn't re-appeared though so we're not sure what happened"

I frowned. Mugen was gone? But I still had my innocence. I could feel it in my bloodstream.

"Will this make me a parasite-type?" I asked tentatively. Link shrugged.

"I'm probably not the right person to ask" Oh yeah, Crow = no innocence.

I heard footsteps down the corridor and tensed. Had he survived? Or was the 'them' Link mentioned someone else?

"Ah Walker. He's awake" I sat up straighter as a white blur entered the room and I froze as it collided with my chest and wept.

"I'm so glad. You scared me so much"

"Moyashi?" I looked down at the young man looked back at me, his grey eyes puffy from crying. We both survived. The sheer force of the relief I felt at this revelation made my chest lighten and I pulled him into a proper hug.

"I'm here. We're safe" I mumbled into his jacket. I felt him nod in reply. Suddenly he tensed and his entire aura shifted. Nea.

"Your Innocence evolved again. It's tied to you even tighter than before"

"What does that mean for me"

"It approves"

I looked into his gold eyes, confused. Then I remembered the night before and my face flushed bright red. His last request. My innocence had been acting weird since that 'act'. He cocked an eyebrow in amusement, and I thanked everything that Allen never made that face. Nea clambered off me and strolled over where Link stood. He whispered something to the blonde who nodded in goodbye and left the room, closing the door behind him and Nea morphed back into Allen. I'd never been so happy to see his soft expression.

"Are you okay? The innocence isn't hurting you is it?" He asked, feeling my forehead for signs of illness. I shook my head,

"It seems to be fine for now. I think it's parasite type though" Allen paled slightly at this. I patted his shoulder,

"I'll manage" I replied to his silent question. He nodded. I'd accepted my future; one tied tighter to him and the innocence than before.

"Allen! Is Kanda awake? I want to check him over!" A familiar voice came from outside the room.

"Sure. Come in Jonny. He's awake" The ball of nervous frizz burst into the room and stood in front of me, shuffling awkwardly. I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what he was asking, and opened my arms. He sighed in relief and gave me a, thankfully loose, hug.

"I'm glad you're safe Kanda. You feeling okay? It hurt anywhere?" I shook my head.

"My stomach hurt like a bitch at first, but I've felt no pain since I woke up" I told the scientist. He blinked,

"Your stomach? I guess you did technically eat the innocence so that makes sense." I shrugged. He began pulling things out of the bag that he had brought with him. I recognised most of them as medical tools and shifted to a better spot on the sofa, deciding to be a good patient for possibly the first time in my life. The head nurse was scary and annoying, but I'd grown fond of Jonny. He was a bit like Alma. This thought comforted me, and I presented my arm to the scientist.

The stethoscope was cold after the warmth of the pressure wrap and it made me flinch.

"You said your stomach hurt before, right?" Jonny looked up from checking my heart. I nodded and he moved the stethoscope down. He listened for a moment then frowned. Then paled. He called over to Allen to check something and he hurried over. The silence was infuriating but I kept it to myself - they would tell me eventually.

"So, your stomach has a heartbeat" I just stared down at Jonny.

"A what?"

"A heartbeat. Just like..." he trailed off.

"Like what Jonny?" I said, trying to sound vaguely calm.

"Like a pregnant woman" I froze and so did Allen. I didn't read any science books from the lab but I'm pretty sure that only women were capable of children.

I relayed this to the pair.

"Yeah that's true. But Innocence is weird. It may have facilitated something."

"Facilitated what?"

"I don't know. It could have created a full-on womb or simply a makeshift growth chamber"

"Growth chamber?" Allen looked perplexed at the term,

"Like the one I was created in" I reiterated, and he nodded. He got it.

"But why me? I'm not the most paternal or maternal of innocence users. Miranda, Lenalee and Klaud are actual women - and even Marie or Tiedoll would have been better options."

Jonny shrugged.

"You may have the strongest innocence? Or encountered stronger innocence?" At that theory, Allen tensed slightly. Oh hell no. That cannot be the reason.

"That's too cliché" I accidentally said out loud and Allen started laughing.

"It really is though" he whispered out through his giggles. I snorted slightly,

"Knowing our luck, that'll be the reason though" I admitted, thinking more seriously about it. Allen grew serious, Jonny looked confused and I was suddenly incredibly tired.

"Kanda? What do you mean? What's the reason?" Jonny was too innocent sometimes, but I was falling asleep on the sofa. Allen thankfully saw this and led the man away, talking softly as we left the room. I let out a pfft at the "WHAT?" that drifted down the corridor before completely dropping unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

We stayed in the Ark for another few days (or what felt like days - time passes weirdly in this place) and I was already showing symptoms of what we had all worried about. Link passed me a tissue as I stepped out of the bathroom after another session of dry heaving.

"It's not easing off yet?" he asked, concerned. I shook my head.

"It shouldn't have even started yet according to every baby book ever" I grunted. Link nodded sympathetically and added,

"The Innocence has probably sped up the process" I paused and looked at him and he looked at me in surprise before blurting out,

"I'll go tell Jonny" and running off into the Ark to find the brunette. I watched him go and suppressed a snort of laughter as I remembered his reaction when we first told him.

"So, Kanda's basically pregnant via Innocence and sodomy" Nea stated bluntly after we had called Link into the room. Jonny turned bright red and I burst out laughing at the vulgarity of the statement. Allen took back control and apologised for Nea's terrible lack of people skills. Link stared for a moment before he paled and looked at me in shock.

"Wait. You're not a girl. And sodomy is…. And you were in Walker's cell that night. Oh God almighty I heard you" And the blonde hid his now beet red face in his hands as he realised the connotations of my situation. Allen blushed (and Jonny didn't know where to look) as I continued to laugh at his reaction.

After the 'confrontation', Allen and I walked back to the room that we had decided to use for our time in the Ark.

"That's the most I've seen you laugh. It's odd. I didn't realise it before how unhappy you've always seemed" I didn't know what to say so I kept walking, stunned. I turned as he smiled up at me,

"I like this happier you. It makes you look kinda cute" And he walked up to where Link and Jonny were ahead of us. I froze, blushing hard. Kanda Yu? Cute? The two things had never been used in a sentence together before. I think. Was this Moyashi flirting with me or something? Was he flirting? Did he like me like that? Urgh these thoughts hurt my emotionally stunted brain.

"Another one?" Allen asked as I headed into the kitchen to wash away the taste. I nodded and he passed me a glass of juice. Though we had started to get along better after I found him in England, this whole experience had brought us even closer. As we sat at the breakfast bar together, in comfortable silence, a sudden question popped into my head and I wondered why I hadn't asked it at the time.

"Moya-Allen."

"Hnn?"

"Why was your last request a night with me?"

The beansprout spat out the yoghurt he'd been eating and coughed slightly. I sat there watching him, patiently waiting for my answer. He composed himself before answering,

"I guess it was because we'd grown so close. We went through so much in that time together - Me turning into Nea, coming to terms with it, you coming to terms with it, changing your mind about killing him - and us - and I guess at that point, I wanted to say a proper goodbye to you. You mean a lot to me Kanda and I wanted to tell you before I left for good. You deserved it" I didn't know what to say. He cared that much about me, and in such a short space of time. He suddenly chuckled,

"Though I can't say I anticipated what happened next though" At that, I buried my head in my arms on the table and groaned as he laughed.

"I don't regret it though" that statement caused me to look up. His face was so sincere, and I knew he meant it. I smiled as I did a quick analysis of my own feelings,

"Neither do I. Even with all of this. I'm glad it happened" and it was Allen's turn to blush and mine to laugh. He smiled softly at me as I stopped, and I blinked as he leaned in, but I stayed still.

It was soft - like that time - and I slowly returned the kiss. We broke apart and both seemed to look at each other curiously. Is this what we wanted? It seemed natural at this point. Allen moved forwards again. It was then that my stomach decided to lurch, and I had to run for the stairs to the bathroom. I soon noticed a hand rubbing my back, and white hair shining in the corner of my eye.

It only took another couple of days for the sickness (which was apparently called 'morning sickness' - more like all day round sickness) to stop and I was incredibly grateful. But Mugen still hadn't shown any signs of re-emerging. There was also no indication that the Innocence in my system would be useful in combat. It seemed to have simply become fuel for the 'child' - an entity that hadn't shown any physical signs apart from the usual symptoms. Nothing else seemed to occur with the Moyashi either. The occasional soft kiss here and there was all we shared. I was fine with this, but it felt like he was holding back on something and I wasn't sure what.

It was one day when we were both in the piano room that I broke the silence.

"Hey Moyashi"

"Hnn?"

"Is everything how you want it?"

"Huh?" He looked at me perplexed. I guess that was kind of vague.

"With us, I mean" God that felt awkward saying out loud. But it needed saying. I needed to know. At the specifics, Allen turned red - we'd been doing that a lot in our time here.

"I'm pretty happy" I wasn't convinced and raised an eyebrow of disbelief, leaning back on the sofa to look at him.

"Really? You don't seem it. Is there something you want?" Wait - was I flirting? I think I was. Oh Lord here we go. Kanda is flirting. Wow okay fine. Let's roll with this then. His blush was only growing.

"Something you want with me?" I uncrossed my legs and tipped my head back, still locking eyes. That seemed to do it and he stood up from the piano stool and stopped dead in front of me. His eyes were darker, but this wasn't Nea.

"Something I want?" he asked. I swallowed nervous suddenly at his change of tone. And suddenly his lips were on mine. But this time it wasn't soft. It was rough and needy and different but not unwanted. Kissing back hesitantly, I grew braver and matched his enthusiasm and soon we were both on the sofa. Soon hands were on skin and clothes were everywhere but on us.


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up, I was alone on the sofa. Bolting upright, my heart calmed at the sight of white hair plunking on piano keys. He turned to me. Gold eyes. Nea.

"Morning sleepyhead"

"Hnn."

"How do you feel?"

"A'ight I guess. How's Moyashi?"

"Panicking" At that I stared at the Noah who looked incredibly awkward forced into this situation.

"Why?"

"He thinks he may have made your problem worse - and he's worried he hurt you" I softened my glare and sighed. That idiot.

"I'm not hurt. And I think it was a one-time thing. If it's not, we'll deal with it" Nea nodded and smiled.

"I know" and closed his eyes.

"We?" Allen's soft voice came through as his eyes opened silver. I smiled at him,

"Yeah. We. That okay with you?" I asked. Allen nodded passionately, tears shining. I opened my arms,

"Get here you idiot" and he carefully wrapped his arms around me.

"So, we're good?"

"We're good"

Jonny and Link chose that moment to enter the room.

"So, we've worked out that we've only been on this Ark two days." We both stared at the blonde. Nea took control and hummed,

"I slowed down the time progression within the Ark to try and allow you guys time to sort yourselves out." Gold eyes froze,

"I forgot to tell you didn't I" Nea moved over to the piano and pressed a few keys. Suddenly a clock seemed to hover above the tower displayed on the screen.

"It's called Void Control. I hadn't explained it to Allen yet as I didn't want to overload him. But you can speed it up, slow it down or have it run in tandem to reality. The Ark resides in a vacuum of time and space. It's why when the Ark was destroyed, it, and all of you, could be called back into existence as, in a sense, it doesn't quite exist." I sat in silence trying to wrap my head around everything we had been told and shivered. Oh yeah, I was draped in a throw and nothing else, no wonder I was cold. Nea seemed to notice this and shucked off his jacket, handing it to me. I accepted it and draped it over my shoulders. As I did this, Link seemed to acknowledge my state of undress and looked away, awkward.

Jonny, however, was fascinated by what Nea had said.

"So, we could stop time altogether?" Nea chuckled,

"Not if we wanted to live"

"What do you mean?"

"If I stopped the time, we would all freeze with it, including our hearts and brains which would probably kill us. Though wonder boy may survive, it's not good to risk it." he explained. Jonny paled.

"Let's avoid that then" we all agreed.

"Wait, why am I wonder boy?" I suddenly clicked that he meant me. Nea grinned and said nothing but paused suddenly and whirled round to look at Link and Jonny.

"How did you know about the timeline? Did you go outside?" Nea accused, Link glared back,

"How would we? You've got this place shut up like a prison" he shot back, and Jonny looked between the two men and stuttered out,

"We figured out how to view the outside from the main tower." he explained. Nea paused and his face relaxed into that of mild embarrassment.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you could do that. My bad" Link rolled his eyes and Jonny breathed out in relief that a conflict had been avoided. I remembered my clothing situation once more and I was suddenly aware of the people in the room.

"Right now, that's been sorted, get out. I want to get changed"

"Changed-oh" Jonny went red and ran out of the room, an uncomfortable Link following him. Nea smirked at me and when I glared at him, he simply switched back to Allen.

"Damn coward" I muttered as Allen blinked, perplexed.

"Help me with these" I told him as I stepped off the sofa, letting the jacket and blanket drop. He blushed but nodded, finding my trousers and passing them to me for me to change into. With the Moyashi's help, I was dressed in no time. He looked almost disappointed - I smirked a little at that.

"What?"

"Nothing" he squinted at me but shrugged and headed out - probably to find food knowing him. At the thought of food, my stomach growled, and I followed him out of the room. I almost had Moyashi's appetite nowadays - apparently this was also normal for my 'condition'. And somehow my favourite food swapped from soba (which I still loved) to meat loaf which I suddenly acquired a taste for recently after Link started making it for us. The man was annoying, but he could cook well - something we were all grateful for.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a week in the real world when things started turning south for those of us in the Ark. Mainly me. Every morning, for about a week, I would wake up with my blood on fire - hungry for things I wasn't usually bothered about. I felt a bit sorry for Allen having to put up with my desires at stupid-o'clock and then having me fall asleep randomly the rest of the day. After we 'awkwardly' explained this to Jonny, he summarised that I was reaching the end of my Innocence pregnancy. I was relieved but also wary of what would happen at the end. I wasn't built for this kind of thing. So, I wasn't sure what would happen. Nobody else was sure either. So, we were all slightly panicked. Wonderful. Nea was the calmest of us all. And one day he announced he was leaving the Ark briefly.

"That's suicide!" I argued, furious and emotional - as was my usual state these days.

"I'll be fine"

"Well that's just wonderful. But don't you know how many people are hunting Moyashi down?"

"Your precious Allen will be safe don't worry". Wait - he sounded bitter. Was he jealous of Allen? This only made me angrier. I yelled back at him,

"I'm worried about you too, you arsehole!" That seemed to take him by surprise. Did he honestly think he could share a body with someone I cared about and think that I wasn't at least fond of the bastard? I told him as much. He proceeded to blush furiously - something I don't think I had ever seen him do. Allen many times, but not Nea.

"I um thanks. I guess I assumed you put up with me for Allen's sake. But I guess you like me too" he mumbled. I bonked him on the head.

"Of course, I like you, idiot" I scowled. He scratched his head,

"I'll be sure to stay safe then" I nodded, happy with the answer and he opened a door and disappeared. All I could hope was that they sorted what they needed to, and both came back safe.

They returned that evening as we were sitting down to tea. I stood up from my chair to greet Nea, recognising his gold eyes across the room but the world began spinning.

"N e a" I mumbled on the way down.

"Kanda!" the chorus of worried cries faded as my vision went black.

I woke up in my bed, Allen flopped over the side, softly snoring. I smiled at the familiar image. I repressed the urge to ruffle his hair. I wanted to let him rest.

"How do you feel Yu-kun?" my head snapped up at the familiar voice.

"Master Tiedoll! When did you -?" the kindly general smiled and patted my blanketed leg.

"Your boyfriend here came to get me. Or should I say it as plural?" I flushed slightly at the term 'boyfriend', but I guessed we were at this point. For both. I couldn't separate my affection on just one anymore. My gaze softened when I realised what the two had become to me. Me, who usually didn't interact with anyone, had gained the love of two soldiers. Is this what people called happiness? Then I took in the first part of what he said,

"Why did they get you? And why did you come? Aren't I a heretic at this point?" he just kept smiling and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Because I will always be here when my children need me. And though you may never see me as one, Allen thought you may want your father by your side" I was powerless as the tears fell from my eyes, unwanted but long overdue. I had always seen him as fatherly, I was just scared of seeing anyone as family - especially what happened to my first 'brother'. Tiedoll stood and leaned over to give me a hug, avoiding the sleeping man beside me. And for the first time in years, I hugged him back. Damn hormones.

"I'll get you some water"

"Thank you master" He patted my leg and left the bedroom.

Almost instantly, I clutched my head as my ears began to ring and my eyes began to swim. The sudden movement woke Allen and he looked up to see me start crying blood, my eyes fully black.

"Yu…? YU!" he cried as my ears, nose and mouth began pouring out blood and I began to choke from the flow. Was I dying? Had my body reached its limit at last? My mark wasn't activating. Had it given up, or was this not a threat? Tiedoll rushed back up the stairs, glass of water in hand, Link and Jonny tailing behind.

"Yu-kun" he called, frozen by the sheer amount of blood covering my once white bed sheets. The blood waterfall finally stopped, and I leaned on Nea, all energy gone from me. I watched as the pool began to warp.

"What on earth?" Link's voice made me look closer at the blob. It was morphing into something. We were all blinded by the sudden green light the orb emitted. The light died down and we all stared at the figure. A young girl stood naked at the foot of the bed, her green eyes and hair highlighting her origins, her ears distinctly non-human, and she looked directly at me. Allen and I looked at her in awe.

"Oi papa. Name me" she pointed at me.

"Err" I was taken aback by the fact she could talk. And her calling me papa. Allen smiled at me and squeezed my hand. She turned to look at him,

"Or daddy can name me. I wanna name" Allen blinked and looked over at me. I pondered it for a moment but eventually we seemed to come to a silent agreement, and I opened my arms to her.

"Come say hi, Evie" her face dropped the pout and she beamed running into my arms and I pulled her into a big hug. I felt sobs shake through me, suddenly emotional. Allen put his arms around both of us and they both joined in with their own tears.


	5. Chapter 5

We spent a few days getting to grips with the idea of having a child to look after and I thanked every higher power that she wasn't an actual baby that could do nothing but eat, shit, and scream. Evie turned out to be a well natured child, though stubborn at times. She reminded me of myself in those moments. Great - she'd inherited my temper. Allen found this hilarious of course and often pouted at the child to force her to go to bed or eat her food out of sheer rage. Nea seemed to stay distant for the first day, unsure of whether he could interact with the girl. Until Evie took matters into her own hands, literally. Grabbing Allen's hair in her hands while in his arms one day, she yelled in his face, causing us all to freeze.

"UNCLE NEA!" Silver turned to gold and Nea awkwardly dragged the girl's hands out of his white locks. The tiny villain simply grinned and gave the Noah a hug, snuggling into his shoulder. He paused in shock but hugged her back, a small smile on his face. He shared these moments more after that and Allen was happy to oblige him, if he got enough father time himself. I, thankfully, had no choice but to be with her almost constantly. I never thought myself as good with kids, but Evie was a good kid which made things so much either. Or this was parental bias and she was a monster when we weren't there. Jonny would occasionally give her a check up to make sure that she was feeling okay.

"I need to see how she's developing, since this has never happened before." he explained the first time he made the request. And soon enough it became routine. Jonny and 'Howie' were also roped into looking after Evie from time to time 'to give papa and daddy a chance to rest'. Tiedoll welcomed the role of Grandpa with pride and quickly started his plan to turn our child into an artistic prodigy. Which, from how quickly she was learning, would probably occur sooner than expected.

Evie was colouring sprawled at my feet as I read when Nea came in and announced that we should leave the Ark.

"I think we've put it off as long as we could. And we're running out of resources. I could top up, but-" I interrupted him,

"No, you're right. We've hidden in our mini Utopia for long enough." Evie looked up and grabbed my hand.

"I'll be okay papa. I can fight good I promise" the statement hurt me. She was a kid. She shouldn't have to fight. I didn't care if she was 70% innocence or whatever Jonny had said, she was still a kid. Allen crouched down and pulled me into a three-way hug. Evie pouted slightly but stayed with us, revelling in our shared warmth.

"I was created to fight you know" she mumbled into our crossed arms. I rolled my eyes at her ability to vocalise a pout but frowned at the statement. Sadly, knowing Innocence, she was probably right. I locked eyes with Allen and, as one eye morphed to gold (that was new), Nea and made a silent decision to let her become a soldier. It would solidify us as trustworthy and, depending on how strong she turned out to be, could shorten the war dramatically. It could also secure Nea as an ally if he's helped us to raise a mostly innocence powered child - that thing that Noah hate.

"Too warm" Evie whined and wriggled out of the embrace, shouting for Howard and running towards the distant reply.

"Since when have you been able to do that?"

"Do what?" Even their voice seemed shared, the combination of tones making me shudder slightly. They raised an eyebrow but said nothing. That was weird but a 'good' weird. I was glad Evie wasn't here.

"Share" They leaned back, looking across at me in silver and gold.

"Since almost the beginning but it's only recently stopped being tiring" they answered. I was pretty sure I'd turned red at this point. They smirked. I threw a cushion at them and stormed out of the room, flustered.

"Well that was interesting" I heard them murmur as I headed out to find Evie and Link. I swallowed, suddenly nervous. I knew that this would be used against me. I looked forward to it. Smirking slightly, I entered the kitchen where Evie sat watching Link make dinner. The blonde looked up at me and quirked an eyebrow,

"Why do you look like the cat who got the cream?" I shrugged and slid into the chair next to Evie, wrapping and arm around her as she leaned into me. He rolled his eyes and looked at Evie,

"Adults are weird" Evie nodded seriously, I retorted,

"Hey, you're older than me!" he smirked and went back to stirring. He spoke again, jolting me out of my thoughts,

"Did Walker tell you we're planning on leaving soon?" I nodded, slightly solemn. I'd grown fond of this place and its assured safety.

"I get it but he's right. We can't hide here forever. Though I will miss this kitchen" he admitted,

"Maybe Jerry will let you share his" I suggested. He seemed to perk up at this. Tiedoll snuck in and swiped a finger through the batter, pulling away as Link batted at his hand.

"Literally it will be ready in twenty minutes. Geez, you have no patience" Tiedoll chuckled and Evie giggled in response. The general turned to me.

"How are you feeling son?" he'd been using that term for me for years but now I didn't fight it.  
"I'm okay, but I'm wary. I know we have to go but I don't like it" I admitted. Tiedoll hummed in agreement,

"I am not eager to put any of us on the battlefield either. But if we don't it will never end" I nodded solemnly, holding Evie closer to me. He ruffled my hair and snuck his hand back into the batter bowl as Link reached behind to grab something from the shelf. He turned and chased the man out of the kitchen with his wooden spoon.

"God damnit Froi!" and then all we could hear of the pair was Link's yelling and Tiedoll's laughter echoing from down the corridor. Evie and I looked at each other in confusion. Were those two a thing?

"Grown-ups are weird" Evie concluded. I could only nod.

That night found Evie with Tiedoll and Link (Allen and I discussed how close they were and conclusion=probably a thing) and I stayed with Allen and Nea in the piano room. Their head was on my lap as I leaned back on the sofa.

"What will we do if they still don't trust us?" I threw out the question and felt them exhale into my leg.

"They will if they want to win the war. We need to stop Mana and the other Noah. Though, if there's a way to separate them from the dark matter, I want to try." I looked down, surprised.

"That's a thing?" They yawned and Allen's second silver iris phased into view. Nea must have fallen asleep,

"I mean I tried to do it with Tyki, but it backfired and just made him, or more his Noah, stronger" I remembered being told about it. The usually calm fighter had basically gone berserk in the Ark after being stabbed. Maybe there was a way of saving them

"Nea really wants to but I don't know if we can" Allen was wary, and I could understand why. Yes, Nea wanted to save his family but they were also seen by everyone else as just the enemy.

"I'll cover you, but I can't help you. My priority is ending the war as soon as possible" I stated. Allen smiled up at me,

"For Evie?" I bonked him on the head,

"For the rest of us too you dolt. I don't know about you but I'm ready to retire" I admitted, lying back. Just talking of fighting had tired me out. Mugen still hadn't reappeared but I had faith that it would. Allen chuckled at that,

"You sound like an old man"

"I feel like an old man"

"You're pretty flexible for an old man" he grinned, referencing our evening activities. I smacked him over the head, blushing like crazy,

"Okay, okay. Sorry" he chuckled. I huffed and pushed him off me, standing up. I offered him my hand,

"Let's go to bed" he smiled and took my hand, linking our fingers as we left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, we all met in the main 'street', ready for Allen to open a gate back to HQ. And there was the door, its white door glowing ominously. Evie took my hand and Allen's and, I caught Link lock his hand briefly with Tiedoll's. He caught me watching. I nodded my 'permission' and he smiled back, squeezing and making Tiedoll look up at me and nod. Jonny beamed at all of us. Allen turned to me,

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be" and with a deep breath, we stepped through the light, the others following soon after. I looked around - the science department.

Komui and Reever ran forwards as the other scientists just stared dumbfounded.

"Allen! Kanda! General!"

"Jonny! Link!"

The two men rushed to our sides and Allen was pulled into a crushing hug by Komui and Jonny got the same treatment from Reever.

"I thought you were dead" Timothy ran at Link. Ah I forgot that the two were close. I also forgot that Link was supposed to be dead, hence why he had been hiding in the Ark in the first place. The blonde caught the boy and pulled his tear stained face into his side, hugging him back. Tiedoll smiled,

"We're back Timothy" and ruffled the boy's blue hair.

"Who's this?" Komui knelt to peer at Evie who had lost any courage she may have had and hid behind my leg.

"Ah, her name's Evie" Allen smiled at the now timid girl. We'd dressed her in a simple black top and shorts, so she looked like a fighter - at her request.

"What happened to you Kanda? Your Innocence that day, I'd never seen that before" I gestured behind me at the pair of feline ears by my hip,

"She did"

"She's your-?" Komui looked amazed and then confused,

"But how-?" I blanched - I didn't really want to explain it to the guy who was basically my brother.

"I'd rather not" I admitted and Reever looked between mine and Allen's awkward expressions, he connected the dots and whispered in the man's ear. Komui blinked.

"Oh. Okay. Well would you like to take her to Hevlaska with me later?" he knelt down to Evie's level and I knocked her in front of me.

"She wants to look at your Innocence" Evie frowned and looked between me and Allen,

"But my innocence is daddy and papa's innocence" we all froze. Wait what? That made sense. Where else would she get it from except us? This also happened to inform everyone else in the room of mine and Allen's relationship. Komui smiled,

"That may be so, but we need to make sure it's working and how strong it is" he explained, Evie suddenly got a glint in her eye. This wasn't good.

"I'll go."

"Wonderful"

"If"

"Hmm?"

"Uncle Nea comes with me" Everyone in the room froze and I dropped my head into my hands. What a stubborn child. Komui looked up at Allen, no Nea, and blinked.

"You're..." Nea swallowed slightly but composed himself and bowed.

"Nice to meet you. I am Nea Campbell. Brother and enemy to the Earl. I do not wish to harm any of you. You are precious to Allen and he is precious to me." he explained. Reever smiled and patted his shoulder making him jump slightly,

"Welcome to the Black Order" and held out his hand to shake.

"Reever, that's supposed to be my job" Komui whined, as Nea took his hand.

"Brother, I have your coffee-" crash. The coffee cup and tray smashed on the ground as Lenalee stared at the group in shock. Tears began to fall, and I began to move so she could hug Allen (who I assumed she would miss more) but then I was caught in her embrace instead.

"You found him. I'm so happy for you" she wept into my shoulder. My eyes widened in surprise, but I returned the hug.

"Thank you" I murmured into her shoulder. She stepped back and smiled brightly, and I offered her a small smile in return. Then she turned to Nea.

"And Allen, I'm so glad you came ba - 14th?" she paused when she saw gold eyes. Nea sighed and closed his eyes, giving Allen back control.

"Everything's fine Lenalee, see?" she bit her lip to stop herself from sobbing again and threw herself into his open arms. Evie tugged on my shirt,

"Papa, who's that?" I looked down,

"Ah that's Lenalee, she's a friend of ours" I explained.

"She's pretty" Evie admitted and Lenalee turned to see who was talking. Once she caught sight of Evie, she cooed,

"Who's this little angel" Allen introduced her,

"Ah this is our daughter Evie. Say hello" Evie shuffled shyly,

"Hullo Rina" Close enough.

"Wait, your daughter? But she called Kanda papa." Lenalee looked up confused. Komui leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"Oh my" she blushed bright red as she figured it all out. I was pretty sure I heard Link mutter the words Innocence and sodomy and I had to stifle my laugh and Tiedoll coughed to hide his own chuckle. The door slammed open. We all looked over at the people in the doorway.

"Allen!" Krory and Miranda ran over to the boy as Marie crossed the room and crushed me in his arms, tears wetting my shoulder.

"Good to see you too Marie" I wheezed. Chaoji stood in the corner of the room, unsure of how to react. Eventually he walked towards us and bowed fully in front of all of us. Allen turned from the two exorcists, Tiedoll looked over from where he was talking to the generals and Link seemed to want to become one with the wall. Jonny simply merged with the other scientists.

"I am sorry for believing you to be a traitor" Tiedoll was the one to approach the sailor. And chop him softly on the top of his head. He winced but didn't move.

"I'm sorry master" Oh yeah, I forgot he was Chaoji's master too now. And Marie's. My heart faltered slightly at the memory of his other pupil, Daisya. I never did mourn him. I never knew how to. I just kept fighting. But suddenly, years later, the grief hit me, and tears made their way down my face. Allen looked over, worried and Evie clung to me tighter. Marie and Tiedoll seemed to understand my sudden sadness and we all huddled remembering our fallen brother. Chaoji got dragged into this huddle and Allen managed to rescue Evie before she got trampled. Said young girl looked around to see her papa huddling in a group of sobbing men and her other father chatting with a group of people in strange uniform. She noticed the blue haired boy with Link and headed over to chat to someone her 'age' (she was only a week old but for all other areas she was about 8) Tim looked over to see the girl with green hair and eyes approach. Apparently, this was Allen and Kanda's daughter. She seemed nice. He broke out of Link's loose grip as the man chatted to Jonny and the other scientists and went over to meet her.

"Hi, I'm Timothy" she smiled and shook his hand,

"I'm Evie" He paused, wondering what he could chat about. He looked over at Tiedoll,

"Do you like drawing?" he asked tentatively. Evie grinned and nodded.

"I love it! Um, Jonny, can we have some pens?" she tugged the scientist's sleeve. Jonny looked down and smiled.

"Sure" and the man grabbed a handful of coloured pens out of his bag and a notebook and handed them to the girl. She grabbed Tim's hand and the pair sat in the corner and doodled.


	7. Chapter 7

I eventually let myself out of the circle of tears and Allen came over and put a hand on my shoulder, pulling my into a tight hug and I dropped a kiss on his lips to show I was okay now. He broke out of the kiss and rested his head on my shoulder. We were okay. Nobody had tried to kill us.

Suddenly the door swung open again. Lvellie. Link looked over, silently seething. We all observed him, wary of what he was going to do.

"Link. You're alive" the man stayed silent, waiting for something to go wrong. Lvellie's view turned on us.

"So, you both came back." we also said nothing. We had nothing to say to him. I willed Evie to stay in the corner out of the way. Lvellie saw her anyway.

"And you brought us new soldiers. How nice of you" I could feel Allen tense. Tim pushed the girl behind him, glaring. Even at such a young age, the boy knew that the man was bad news.

"Come now. I won't hurt her" Evie hissed in anger from behind Tim.

"Then leave" we all turned to Link in surprise. He stared the man down.

"Now now Link. Didn't I save you? Aren't you grateful?" he spread his arms like some kind of preacher.

"You faked my death and sent me on a personal mission that left me as a heretic if I was found. Now leave. I'm not your Crow anymore. I died remember?" Lvellie glared at him but eventually conceded,

"Have it your way. But I won't hurt the girl. We need our soldiers" and he left the room. Link breathed out anxiously and Tiedoll gripped his shoulders, letting him lean into his chest. Klaud and Miranda noticed this and caught each other's eyes, Lenalee clocking on swiftly afterwards. Krory stayed blissfully unaware.

"So, you and Allen huh?" Marie enquired. Really subtle. He grinned.

"Um yeah. That okay?" Marie chuckled and nodded.

"I sort of expected it." Okay that made me double take.

"I made a bet with Miranda to see if you would kiss or kill each other first. It was going to end up as one or the other" I gaped. The two who I would not expect to make such a bet. And I watched as he took a piece of candy out of his pocket and handed it to the woman in question who laughed behind her hand. She reached up and pecked him on the cheek which took me by surprise. Though I had to admit they made a cute couple.

"You voted kill?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"Well I thought kiss but that was already taken, and I thought I'd make it balanced" he chuckled. I sighed,

"Ever the mediator" I told him, and he smiled.

"Someone has to be" he admitted,

"Fair reasoning"

I looked over to where Allen sat with Evie and Tim, making sure that they were okay. I patted Marie's shoulder and joined them. Seeing me sit down, Evie crawled from Allen's lap into mine.

"You okay kiddo?" she nodded into my chest. We both looked up as Chaoji approached awkwardly. Allen was still wary of him, but Evie seemed to sense no ill will and stood up from my lap. He crouched slightly,

"Sorry about that guy. He creeps me out too. Here, this might make you feel better" and he held out a block of chocolate. Evie looked over at us and when we nodded in approval, she took the brown square and shoved it in her mouth. I nudged her,

"Owy, ank u" she garbled, and we all laughed. Chaoji ruffled her hair,

"You're welcome kiddo" and she beamed up with black teeth, making him grimace and laugh. Timothy looked over hopeful at Chaoji who sighed and broke one off for him too.

"Thanks Ji!" he remembered to say before eating and, like Evie, stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. I grimaced. But hey, kids would be kids. 

"Noah it's the Noah!" a warning over the tannoy woke us up. Nea quickly took control and launched himself out of the bed. I wasn't far behind him with Evie on our tails. We stopped as we looked at who it was. In the lounge was Tyki and Road holding up an unconscious Lavi, Bookman lurking behind.

"We managed to get my crazy brother away from him" Tyki panted and Lenalee and I rushed forward to take him off the Noah. Nea stared at the pair and they stared back, Road slightly awkwardly.

"We want to join you. Feel free to kill us if you don't want us to. We'd rather die than let this go on longer than it has to" Nea narrowed his eyes at the girl who became slightly braver and glared right back.

"Why change sides? Your Noah won't let you anyway" Road replied as Tyki regained his breath.

"The Earl's always been crazy but it's clear that this isn't how he's supposed to be. He's split in half and he's lost his mind over it" Nea froze and cursed. I looked back at the gold eyes with concern. We lowered Lavi to the floor and Bookman rushed over and began to check him over muttering to himself. My breath caught as I caught what he was saying and saw his tears.

"I'm sorry so sorry. I shouldn't have. But my pride wouldn't let me. I'm sorry Lavi. I'm so sorry." One green eye cracked open and I'd never been so happy to see that cheeky glint. I helped him to sit up. He looked over at Tyki,

"Did you get it out?" Tyki nodded "Thanks. That could have caused a lot of trouble" We looked at him confused,

"A tracking parasite, courtesy of Noah" Tyki explained. Nea stepped towards Road who flinched. I wondered why then I remembered. She was the only one who remembered Nea's attacks years ago. And she hadn't forgiven him quite yet. I admired her strength for a moment. And Allen had a soft spot for her. Nea kneeled and lowered his head to the floor. The universal position of apology and ultimate submission. Tears rolled down and Tyki tucked her into his side, petting her hair softly as she cried. I always wondered about those two. If they stuck by the Earl, they did it together. If they betrayed him, they would stick together then too.

"Lavi!" Timothy was held back by Link,

"Easy kid. He's hurt. Be gentle" Timothy slowed his pace and knelt next to the redhead who opened his arms gingerly and Tim gave him the softest hug.

"I'm home" he looked up at Lenalee who gave him a soft smile which he returned. I walked back up to him and waved Nea over.

"Let's get you to the nurse" Lavi paled slightly but let himself be hauled upright. Nea had switched back to Allen who gave a small embrace and a 'good to see you back' 'same to you' before helping me carry him to head nurse.


	8. Chapter 8

We entered Hevlaska's room that evening and, somehow, Evie had not only managed to convince Komui that Nea should be the one present (they would probably share but he didn't need to know that) but that Timothy should be allowed to come too. Tim was thankfully happy enough to go with his new best friend, and I was thankful that she had a friend close to her age.

"Hevlaska. We have a visitor for you" Evie looked up at the entity in awe. She held out her hands and I watched perplexed as tears rolled down her face. They weren't tears of fear, but I didn't know why else she would be crying. And then I noticed that Hevlaska was doing the same.

"Welcome home little one"

"I'm home" Evie smiled and allowed herself to be picked up. Komui looked up and watched as she connected gracefully with Hevlaska and his eyes widened as the number of her synchronicity kept rising. I wasn't as surprised, having hidden the fact that I had point broken my innocence years ago. And Allen had done the same a few years later, having been in the organisation a much shorter time.

"100% synchronisation. She is a gift from God, an ender of conflicts" Hevlaska finished, placing Evie in my arms surprising the heck out of me. Tim looked at the girl in awe,

"I only managed to get 75%" he admitted. Nea smiled down at the kid,

"Both of her parents are point breakers, it's not really a surprise" he explained. I winced as Komui looked over at me.

"And when were you going to inform us of this?" he narrowed his eyes and I shrugged,

"I wasn't" Komui sighed and his eyes turned sad,

"I'm sorry that you could never trust us, Kanda." he apologised, and I looked down, slightly ashamed of keeping it from him for so long. Nea shuffled next to me as we headed out of the room,

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything" I adjusted a now napping Evie in my arms,

"You didn't know" I replied, forgiving him. He sighed and followed us back to the room that Komui had set up for us. He suddenly whistled, making me jump for the second time that day,

"But an ender of conflicts? That's a high burden for one so young" I looked down at the child in my arms and nodded solemnly. But in the end, she wouldn't have any choice but to fight, just like the rest of us. Jonny, Link and Tiedoll met us by the room.

"How is she?" Tiedoll asked, stroking the girl's hair as she slept.

"She's alright, I think the experience tired her out" Allen swapped back at this point and I handed her over to him. He held her close and I smiled, opening the door open, inviting the other two in as well, Timothy having gone back to see Klaud. Allen lay her down on the small bed as we sat on the king-size. Komui had assumed that we would want to share, and we were thankful. Jonny piped up.

"Let me know when you want me to take her measurements - I'll have to make her a uniform" And with that statement, everything suddenly felt very real. Allen held me hand and squeezed. This was hard for him too. But we had to let it happen.

"I think the sooner the better. You can wait here until she wakes up if you want" Allen replied, and I nodded my agreement. Jonny patted our joined hands and smiled softly.

"Thank you." we nodded. Tiedoll ruffled my hair, pulling it out of the neat ponytail it had been in previously. I threw him a mock glare as I tried to fish the ribbon out of my newly made rats nest. Allen chuckled and reached back to assist in the search. I dropped my hands into my lap and left the rest to him. He gently teased the material to a thinner patch of hair before untying the knot and letting my hair fall free. He then gestured with his hand and Link smirked, handing him the brush on the side. I winced, preparing myself for the tug that usually came from my hair. It never came. He grasped my hair before carefully brushing out the knots and letting go to brush smoothly through the rest. I blinked in surprise as he placed the brush back in my hands and pecked me on the cheek. Link smirked but said nothing. Tiedoll and Jonny were outwardly beaming at the casual show of affection. I blushed at how normal such things had become and suddenly felt at peace. This was how it should be. How it could be once the war was over. We just had to win it first. I looked over at the girl - our little girl - asleep in the corner and hoped that she was as strong as everyone was saying she was. That night I did something I had not done in years. I prayed to God to keep her safe - to keep us all safe - to let us win the war. And I fell asleep feeling slightly braver than before.


	9. Chapter 9

It was that evening and Road and Tyki joined us in the training room dressed in slacks provided by Lenalee and me. Nea was still subdued but gained some strength as I squeezed his hand. He fused with Allen and the two Noah stared in awe at the gold and silver. They took a wary step back as Crowned Clown was activated.

"You still want to do this? After what happened last time?" Nea/Allen directed the question at Tyki, remembering the creature that was created. Tyki steeled his face and nodded. Road linked her hand with this and added her own consent. They pulled out their sword and I cursed my loss of Mugen. As if in response of my thought, a vessel in my wrist seemed to burst and blood spurted out, forming crystallised makeshift spears, still connected to my arms. I looked at them, content. Welcome back Mugen. It may have been a different form, but it was still my Innocence.

"Let's go boy before I lose my nerve" Tyki gritted his teeth. Road looked at me and nodded. Mugen arched before driving itself through her chest. It paused momentarily before glowing a harsh green. During this, Nea/Allen drove Crowned Clown through Tyki (again). That too began to glow. The pair shuddered as their shadows began to go crazy. Eyes and mouths screamed from the darkness before detaching from the pair and dissipating into the floor, normal shadows taking their place. No crazy mouths to be seen. We rushed forward as they fell.

Road opened her eyes first and I watched as the stigmata seemed to shatter, her skin losing the sickly grey and returning to a light tan. Allen watched Tyki do the same, his olive-tanned skin finally shimmering back into existence after so many years. We helped them sit up as we heard a knock on the door.

"Papa, are they okay?" She was a caring child and Allen smiled before calling her into the room. Her green frizz popped into view as she gestured for us to put them down, eyes glowing. We looked at each other but did what she wanted. I had a feeling that this was more her acting on the instincts of her innocence. She touched Road's head and a wisp of screaming smoke exploded out of her mouth, reaching for Evie before the light that the child was emitting dissolved it into nothing. And then she did the same to Tyki.

"Woah. That was" we heard a voice and turned to see Tim in the doorway with Link behind him, both staring at Evie. She began to fidget under the boy's gaze.

"That was so cool! Your powers are super cool!" he burst out, rushing into the room to engulf the girl in a hug. Link chuckled at Evie's blank face of shock and ruffled her hair.

"You did good kid" and she allowed herself a big cheesy grin, grabbing a laugh out of the rest of us as she hugged her friend back.

"Thank you, Allen," Road smiled at the boy, who had reverted back to full silver. Tyki scratched his head,

"I'm just sorry we couldn't convince the others to come with us. The twins were tempted but they didn't know if one of them would disappear if they did" I blinked. Allen looked over,

"They were originally one, but the Noah split them into two. And I understand"

"But they said they'd go down easily. They just wanted to go down together" Road added. Allen looked like he wanted to cry. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he calmed a little.

"I'm thankful for that"

"Fiidora won't put up a fight either. He doesn't care either way. And I don't think Sheril will be too much trouble now I've lost my Noah. I'm not sure about Wisely though" Road concluded. But that still left a fair few Noah to fight - as well as the Akuma.


	10. Chapter 10

Evie was running around the training room, trying out her new uniform. Lenalee and Lavi were chasing her. They were calling it training for the purpose of the Vatican, but they were just letting her play. Real training would start this afternoon. And then we would be taking Road and Tyki to Hevlaska to see if they could connect with Innocence. Nea and Allen had a theory of because Innocence and Dark Matter were opposites of each other, if you stopped using one, you could use the other. It was worth a shot. If it doesn't work, we couldn't force it - we didn't need to deal with two fallen ones on top of everything else.

"Alright guys take a break" Allen called over to the now giggling trio who had swapped from chasing to tickling. And suddenly my arms were filled with green fuzz as Evie launched herself at me. It was only my fast reflexes that stopped her from dropping on the ground.

"Papa, Papa! The jumpsuit's super comfy!" she announced, and her little face lit up. She was too precious, and I cuddled her closer as I chuckled,

"I'll be sure to let Jonny know" I promised her, and she snuggled into me in response. I put her on the ground and led her over to where the others were sat chatting and managed to secure us a portion of fruit before Allen destroyed it all. I dropped down next to him as I listened to Lavi's recovery story. After a week of rest and medicine, he was doing a whole lot better. A slight limp was the only evidence that he'd ever been ill. Lenalee sat next to him, clutching his hand loosely. I saw this and caught her eye, raising an eyebrow. She gave a small smile, as if to ask, 'do you approve?'. I gave her a small nod. Her face broke into a beaming grin and lay her head on the rabbit's shoulder. I hid my own smile in my glass of water. I was happy for them, in times of war they deserved each other.

On the way to the cafeteria after the harsher training, I walked alongside Lenalee as Lavi and Allen chased a hyperactive cat girl to the kitchen.

"So, does Komui know?" I nodded towards the distant pair. She nodded.

"He made a cheesy speech about deflowering his baby sister but then he gave us a serious chat about relationships. He was quite accepting of it." she beamed at the knowledge. I smirked; the man had a reputation of being sister-obsessed but I was glad he actually handled it maturely. I ruffled her hair which had got long enough to put back into her usual twin tails. I grew slightly melancholic at the visual representation of how much time I'd missed in my search for the Moyashi.

"You've grown into a strong woman Lenalee. I'm proud of you" I smiled as she flushed bright red at the unexpected praise. But I meant it - she'd grown so strong in my absence. I viewed her like a little sister, and I was flexing my brotherly role that I had sorely neglected over my years of being an asshole.

"Thank you, Kanda. And you've gotten stronger too" I looked over at her in surprise. I had?

"You accepted that your emotions won't weaken you; you don't jump straight to violence anymore. And you let Allen in, managing to raise an adorable little girl together. You grew a lot while you were gone. I'm proud of you too" and she leant up and pecked my cheek. I had to swallow to stop myself from choking up. I hadn't even noticed myself change, how much I'd softened and grown as a result. I looked over to where Allen and Evie were waving for us to catch up. Lenalee smiled and patted my arm as I gazed at the two that had changed my whole world. Oh God I was getting sentimental. I smiled and we both headed up to join our respective lovers. We had something to fight for. And, as I looked over at the little girl trying to steal a sandwich from her dad's plate, I knew I would fight as hard as I could. I had to make sure that all of us would come out of this war intact.

"You sure about this?" I asked the pair as we stood outside Hevlaska's room. Road and Tyki linked hands and nodded. Whatever they faced; they'd do it together. All four of us entered.

"Are you prepared?" Hevlaska reiterated my concern and they repeated their consent. They stepped into the grid of Innocence pieces, waiting for one to call to them. This was stage one. If one didn't call, then Hevlaska would select one and if that didn't connect, we would stop. Once they were in the grid, Road instantly began wandering in a specific direction. She reached down and plucked a crystal. Soon Tyki had also been pulled in the same direction and, following the feeling, plucked the crystal right next to hers. They held them up to Hevlaska for inspection.

"Yes, I feel a connection between your souls and the Innocence you hold. These will serve you well" And we watched as, if in response to Hevlaska's words, the crystals melted simultaneously, and the pair looked at each other. Allen and I watched in slight horror at the Innocence's demand for loyalty so soon. And they drank. Blood spurted out of Tyki's hands and Road's arms, forming butterflies and candles. They laughed at the choice.

"I guess it let us stick to what we know" Road smiled up at the green lit candle tops as they floated beside her and she watched in awe as they hardened slightly and dropped into her hands. She concentrated and they floated again. Her face lit up. Tyki watched and concentrated on his butterflies which flew around in formation before flattening and sticking together, forming a broach on his jacket. He looked over at us and nodded. It had been a success. We thanked Hevlaska for her help and left to tell Komui the good news.


	11. Chapter 11

The next couple of weeks was a blur of training with the lovers, Noah, Allen and Evie. All I did was wake up, wake up Allen, wake up our daughter, and head into training. The only rooms I saw for those two weeks was our room (briefly), the training floor and the cafeteria. But it was a necessary evil and if it kept us all alive, it would be worth it. The training was brutal, but Evie was excelling in every way and I couldn't have been prouder. And the rest of us were also improving. Timothy had managed to merge with his innocence to possess a Level 3 in the time we had been gone. Lenalee was faster than ever, becoming a mere blur when she used her boots, and Lavi was stronger with his hammer and faster with his reflexes. Miranda realised she could steal Akuma's time, destroying them (though apparently this was gross to watch - good job she was often paired with Marie) and this had improved her mood. She was still a defence fighter though and would only be using this new power in emergencies. Link threw another flurry of fists Allen's way and I smirked, proud, as the Moyashi blocked or dodged all of them. The blonde had gotten into a fight with Tiedoll when the training first started and it was the first time I had ever seen them argue.

"I'm fighting Tiedoll"

"But you're not an Exorcist. You don't have Innocence to protect you"

"I don't need it"

"But-"

"I was raised as a CROW. We can fight harder because we don't have Innocence"

"Alright, alright. I- I'm just wary"

"I know, but I'll be okay. I promise I'll survive"

"Good"

And after that Link had joined in our training everyday, helping assist Evie with her style. Her Innocence was phenomenal. All of her body was a weapon and so she could manipulate it how she wished. Growing limbs, stretching, shrinking, using her hair, claws, feet, everything. I couldn't help but be awed by her. And Mugen responded well to me. Forming chains and spears, it answered to a simple thought and assisted me in every way it could. I missed its sword form but if this was what I needed to fight, then this is what I would use. Allen's Crowned Clown stayed pretty much the same though the sword responded better to his commands when it left his hands. The others were all improving and I felt a swell of pride towards all of my comrades at their progress. It was odd. I'd never really paid much attention to how they were doing, too wrapped up in my own goals and missions to give a damn. But now I was practically beaming as I watched them all leap about the training rooms. Allen lowered himself with Crowned Clown so he was upside down but facing me.

"Hey"

"I'm pretty sure that's not part of training"

"I mean you never know" I rolled my eyes and pushed him away, sniggering slightly as he swung and struggled to right himself. He wrapped his clawed hand around my shoulders and I allowed myself to be pulled into a strange upside down kiss. He winked before pulling himself back onto the ceiling and dropping onto his feet, giving me a normal kiss. I bonked him on the head but followed him to the cafeteria, holding his hand as Evie and Timothy ran on ahead.


	12. Chapter 12

"Akuma are approaching! I repeat Akuma are approaching! Noah are in tow! Exorcists prepare for battle!" The tannoy screamed and the entire cafeteria froze. There was a sudden rush of noise and movement as we grabbed Evie and Miranda grabbed Tim. We rushed to our rooms to get changed into our uniforms, and to check each other over. We had hoped we could go to them, but it looked like the fight wouldn't wait that long.

"Let me help" I looked up from fastening my own uniform to watch Allen squeeze Evie into her jumpsuit before throwing on his own. I walked over to him, strangely calm. We knelt and brought Evie into a hug and we stayed there. We all basked in the body heat of each other and the love that it signified. But we couldn't stay for much longer. Allen sighed, breaking out of the hug and stood up, his face stony.

"Let's finish this" and I nodded, allowing him to help me up. Evie beamed up.

"Let's go" and we ran out of the room and towards the forest.

We met Lenalee and Lavi outside, in their uniforms, stood with Tyki and Road who had been given Finders uniforms so they would have some form of protection. They also wanted to show whose side they were on now. We gave each other nods of comradery. We were on the same team now. Evie rushed over and gave Road a hug.

"We'll win" she told the ex-Noah who grinned at the little girl (who wasn't that much smaller than her).

"Absolutely" Tyki grinned and ruffed their hair. I watched them interact then looked at the looming shapes of the Akuma mass in the distance.

"Let's get moving" Lenalee and Lavi sped on ahead and we rushed after them, Road lamenting her lack of teleportation powers. Evie began to glow and grew in size, picking up Road over her shoulder and I had to hold in a laugh at her indignant squawk. Tyki didn't hold back and whooped as he ran after them, Allen joining in. Never had there been such a joyous entrance to battle before. My blood began to boil as we approached the swarm.

"Innocence activate" the Innocence swirled out of my arms and began to construct themselves. I assumed that it would form the whip/spears that it had made in training but then it kept fusing together until Mugen fell into my hands.

"Welcome home old friend" I murmured as the blade seemed to sing in my hands. Feeling confident, I ran to catch up with the others. Allen saw the sword and smiled at me. I nodded back and then the swarm made contact.

Hundreds of levels one, two and three (with a small number of fours and fused monstrosities) sped past us swarming and attacking all at once. I watched Lenalee blur past me and explosions tracked her path as she defeated one after another. To my side I noticed Lavi's thunder and fire seals doing their part in clearing the cloud. Tyki fought with a flurry of butterflies and even helped launch Krory into the frey. Miranda had managed to envelop a time record around Maker of Eden and Marie and Timothy were keeping the Akuma away so she could conserve as much strength as possible. I also saw flashes of white showing Allen's part in the fight.

But what caught my attention was Evie.

She was running with Tiedoll's Art, standing taller than the trees and smashing demons like bugs. I watched as she threw level threes into a monstrosity, knocking it flat for Road to finish off with her candles. Then she proceeded to stretch her hands into some form of net, trapping several Akuma within her thinned fingers, exploding them on contact. Allen called to her as she shrank and took his cloak, launching her shrunken form into a hoard of Akuma like a bowling ball into pins. She was a spectacle and I could watch her forever. But I had my own kill count to keep on top of and I swung Mugen fiercely, cutting down Akuma left, right and centre, not wanting to be outdone by my child or partner. I had far too much pride for that. That was when the Noah joined the fight.

As Tyki and Road had mentioned, some were willing to put up enough of a fight to look interested but would go down quietly. There were some Noah that I didn't recognise. How many of them were there?

"Thirteen" answered the 14th. The irony hit me, and I groaned at Allen's grinning face as he lowered his mask and swung back into the frey. I heard a sob from behind me as Road's candles seemed to spike towards a specific spot. I launched myself back into fighting but winced at the conversation that followed.

"I'm sorry Road"

"I know. I'm sorry"

"Goodbye Fii"

I shut my eyes briefly at the shriek that the Noah let out as he was killed by his 'sister's' hands. As the number of Akuma thinned out, I was able to see that, so far, everyone had survived. Lenalee flashed by, throwing Lavi with his hammer outstretched.

The fighting continued for a good while and, though the number of Akuma had decreased significantly, there was still a long way to go. Illusion and Fiidora had gone with down the former putting up a pretty good fight. There was a large looming Noah that I didn't recognise that almost took out Bookman before it exploded into flames and Miranda stole its time from the sidelines. I got what Komui had said before, it was pretty gross to watch. Wisely was out of action having one of his headaches after I had slammed the butt of Mugen into his forehead. He wouldn't be causing any problems any time soon.


	13. Chapter 13

A cruel wind whistled through the trees making me shiver.

"Good evening exorcists" I cursed as the Earl's voice echoed through the forest. I was hoping we would have more time before that mess of a psycho turned up. Allen dropped beside me, Evie joining soon after and we all held each other loosely before turning towards the laughter.

"I see you've had fun wiping out my brothers and sisters" the man, who was no longer in the crazy fat suit and top hat but a torn tux with bedraggled hair down to his shoulders, gestured to the bodies of the Noah which littered the forest. He'd completely gone mad and it was evident on his face.

"Nea, won't you come home Nea" the man whined, and Allen froze. I looked over as he seemed to internally fight with Nea not to emerge and stay hidden. From his expression, it wasn't working.

"Mana" the 14th growled. I paused. Mana? As in Allen's dad? Allen retook control and got a good look at the man. I prayed that I'd misunderstood.

"You died. You're dead" Allen murmured, horrified. I cursed and ran over to him, taking his head in my hands and turning him away.

"Even if he has the same body somehow, he won't be the same person Allen" I sounded so sure I surprised myself. But I had to be - for him. Allen's expression softened and he leaned into me, turning away from the Earl or Mana or whoever he was. It was Nea who looked back at me. He looked peaceful yet determined.

"Are you sure? Wasn't he your brother?" I asked, remembering snippets of things I'd overheard in the past month. Nea smiled and patted my shoulder.

"He is. Which is why I need to end his misery" and he walked past me through the forest. Ignoring the ongoing battle around him, he headed towards the mad man.

"Nea. Nea. Nea. Come to me. Join me Nea. Let's go together into the darkness" The Earl sank further into his madness and the Noah seemed to stop to watch their master descend into chaos with sympathetic eyes. I kept the Akuma out of Nea's way as he approached his brother across the battlefield. Evie watched him go and locked eyes with me, nodding in agreement that she would not intervene - this was not our fight. The Akuma were our concern. Not the Earl. Not even the Noah, who had now ceased fighting to see what would happen.

We jumped back into the frey. No longer having to worry about the Noah, we threw ourselves into battling the Akuma, increasing our already high kill count. Evie transformed into her giant form again and I saw 'demon' Timothy on her shoulder, shouting encouragement. I smiled at the pair before managing to cut down a group of Level 3's. I caught Lenalee and Lavi catching their breath in the clearing, beaten up but still very much alive and up ahead found Chaoji and Krory giving them the room to rest. I ran forward to help out and Link ran up beside me, tag teaming the Level 4 that was determined to ruin our fun.

An inhuman scream rang out across the forest and I looked over to Nea. Crowned Clown was deeply embedded in the Earl and the Akuma stopped fighting to watch their leader turn to dust, leaving nothing but a purple suit and a lingering shadow. I began running forwards as I saw Nea turn the sword towards himself. Evie stood in my way, shrinking down to her original height, and shook her head.

"It's his time to go too" she whispered, sounding older than she should. I stopped but watched with wary eyes. Gold locked with my teal as Nea gave me a silent goodbye before his shadow burst out of Allen and intertwined with his brother for one final time before they both disappeared in the wind.


	14. Chapter 14

Allen, exhausted from the fight and the emotional burden of seeing Mana again, tipped forwards, falling into the dirt. The remaining Noah, which only featured the twins, Wisely, and Lulubell, began to convulse and Lenalee and the other Exorcists rushed forwards to help them as I headed over to Allen with Evie, Mugen disappearing back into my blood

"Moyashi!" I pulled him up off the ground and watched his eyes open to show his silver iris' and sighed in relief. He was okay - tired but alive. I fell back with him and Evie clambered in between us.

"Hey you two. I'm fine, just a little sleepy" he mumbled as he slipped into slumber once again. Evie looked at me and smiled, cuddling into him. I ruffled her hair and got up,

"Look after him for me" Evie nodded, and I headed down to help the others and see what was happening with the Noah. Road and Tyki had run over to help with their 'siblings' and I watched as the stigmata faded from their heads and shadows shot from them, turning to dust and disappearing in the wind.

"Devitt!"

"Jasdero!" The twins embraced, elated that they'd managed to stay together without the Noah. They turned to Road, allowing her to join in the family huddle and I smirked as I saw Tyki get dragged in too. Lulubell stood up shakily, patting her brown hair. I thought she would have returned to blonde (or a cat) but it looked like this was her original look. It wasn't bad. Link ran forwards, steadying her.

"Ah Lulu...You're human?" Wisely asked, grasping her other arm. Her voice came out in a whisper,

"Apparently" Well that was odd. I didn't comment and went over to help Road with the twins since Tyki seemed to have distanced himself. I looked over at where he was stood talking to Sheril. They both looked so much younger without the weight of the Noah on their shoulders.

"I've got him. Allen's waking up" I looked over at Allen as Lavi took my place, hiking Devitt's arm over his shoulder.

Allen sat cuddling with Evie in the clearing, covered in dirt but happy. He looked up at me as I approached and smiled, reaching a hand out to me. It took my breath away slightly - his smile was so carefree and bright. Evie climbed into my lap as I sat down next to them.

"So it's finally over" he breathed,

"Yeah" I couldn't think of anything else to say. It had all been over so quickly. Some of the Noah had survived, though not all. But all of our friends were still here. The Innocence had won.

"Guys!" we looked over at the yell to see Komui approaching. We stood to greet him, then we noticed his expression.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Lenalee ran up to him, Lavi close behind. He looked at us,

"It's Hevlaska"

We all entered Hevlaska's chamber and watched as she seemed to glow and shudder with green light.

"She's been like this since we got word that the Earl was killed" Reever explained as we all watched the guardian. My blood began to boil. It grew hotter and hotter. It was like the time at the execution. Something was happening with Mugen. As the blood burst out of my arms, I watched as Lenalee, Krory, Allen, Tim and Evie seemed to share the same fate. Our blood flowed and turned green before shooting into Hevlaska. There was a series of shatters from the room and beyond as weapons exploded, their Innocence flying to combine within her. The glowing became so bright that I had to close my eyes and I caught the others doing the same. As the light dissipated, I looked back and stared. Where there had been a giant see-through guardian, there stood a tall blonde woman holding what looked like a giant golden cube. We all watched as the cube disintegrated and drifted out through the stonework and into the evening sky. Allen suddenly yelped, clutching at his arm.

"Allen, let me look" Komui demanded and, seeing Allen's timid nod, ripped his sleeve away, exposing the deformed flesh underneath. Without the Innocence, his arm was useless and sore.

"Let's get him to the nurse" Komui ordered and I picked him up, cradling him as he whimpered in pain and, with Evie at my heels, headed to the hospital wing.


	15. Chapter 15

It was a cold November day and I found myself sat on a park bench, watching Evie chase Timothy around the pitch. England was brutal in the winter and I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck. Lavi had joked about my lack of temperature control until I reminded him that my innocence had previously regulated everything for me. He knitted me some mittens as an apology.

"Cute kids" I turned at the voice and watched Road sit next to me, Tyki walking with Sheril in the distance. The war had aged her. No longer having the Noah power of choosing her image, she had lost her childish features and had grown into a mature young woman. I nodded thanks at the compliment and watched her closely. She smiled sadly, staring off at the two kids who had now started throwing snowballs.

"How are they?" I referred to the other Noah. She nodded,

"They're managing. Though Wisely's nightmares are keeping us all up at night. Lulubell is nearly done with her physio and may be comfortable being bipedal soon and the twins are finally doing things without the other. Improving, but slowly"

"That's good" she turned to me,

"And how about you guys?" I leaned back on the bench, keeping my eye on the mini wrestling match.

"Lenalee and Lavi finally got married, so did Marie and Miranda. Krory bought a house in the countryside where he is helping Hevlaska adjust to things. The others are going through life as usual"

"And Allen?"

I winced slightly and Road patted my arm.

"It must be hard for you" I shrugged.

"It needs doing and, I have to agree with the Vatican, he's the best man for the job" Allen had joined the generals in going around and locking away any lingering followers of the Earl. It was taking longer than they had expected as the local authorities were rarely helpful. But Allen had last called from Hong Kong announcing that they would be done before Christmas.

"But he'll be finished soon right?" she asked, and I nodded, relieved that he would be home soon.

"Papa I'm hungry. Can we go to Miranda's for tea? Hi Road" Evie and Timothy dragged themselves over to our bench, both grubby and tired out. I ruffled her hair.

"Why not? As long as she's still making that hot chocolate, I'm fine with that" They whooped and ran to the park gate.

"You pamper them too much" Tyki joked as he and Sheril finally reached us. I scoffed and he grinned.  
"Hey, if I can help out a friend's business then what's wrong with that?" Miranda and Marie had opened a little cafe in the small town we'd all decided to settle down in. We were both amazed by how well Marie could cook and Miranda's drinks were surprisingly sweet. Link even did the occasional shift in the kitchen when he wasn't waiting tables. So, we had ended up as frequent visitors. As we sat down for pie and hot chocolate, I looked around for a glimpse of white hair. Then I chided myself - he'd be gone at least another month. That's what his last report had said. But I couldn't help but hope. Evie caught what I was doing and kicked me under the table. I went to say something but then looked at Timothy who was discreetly looking around for Klaud himself - a woman who had recently become like a mother to the boy and I softened slightly. We were all waiting for our families to come home. Only then would all be well.


End file.
